


A Simple Miscalculation

by starrynightfantasies



Series: In Clone Love and War [3]
Category: Loki laufeyson - Fandom
Genre: Affectionate Loki finds a wounded turtle, F/M, Gen, Good Loki (Marvel), Loki is a wounded turtle, Loki miscalculates, Loki's Clones - Freeform, Midgardian drivers are assholes, Needy Loki gets his Seidr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-13 20:58:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14756201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrynightfantasies/pseuds/starrynightfantasies





	A Simple Miscalculation

I am  _not_ a stalker.  

I am a god. I never make  _mistakes_ , only simple miscalculations. I needed to follow one of my clones- to keep him and his lover safe. You see, he was beginning to remember how to use his seiðr, and I was concerned that he would be like me- I tended to blow things up if I was too excited. So I chose an inconspicuous animal, and I hid in plain sight. 

As I said, I'm not a stalker. I watched him heal both our cat  _and_ my wife before I ever started to follow him. Even then, I would have left him to his own devices if I hadn't been afraid of what could happen to his girl. She's not as... durable as we are. 

When they left our home together, I set out following them, and immediately realized my  _simple miscalculation_ - I was far too slow. Still, I trudged down their path until I could watch them from a distance. However, when they began walking around the animal park I couldn't keep up and I was almost eaten by that blasted tiger he was so fond of. At that point, I realized I would have to find some other way to keep an eye on him but I couldn't just shape-shift back into myself in broad daylight. So I decided to walk back home. Unfortunately, that's when everything went to Hel. 

Just so you know, the turtles in Asgard are quite lively and far more agile than the ones here in this realm. I hadn't realized mortals were so inherently cruel when I chose to take the form of a harmless animal either. 

I was on the sidewalk. Then suddenly, I was spinning on my back in the middle of the road. My feet were in the air, and all I could see was the sky whirling in circles above my head. I knew I'd been hit, but I didn't know  _how_. Seconds later, I saw  _myself_... I thought I'd actually died this time. Norns know I've faked it enough times... but alas, it was just another one of my clones. He'd seen the entire event happen and he picked me up off of the road. 

"Poor little guy... I can't  _believe_ how awful some people can be! Don't you worry, I'll get you some help." 

I had no idea I could be so damn empathetic. For a moment I felt  _proud_ of myself until I felt the intense pain in my back. 

 

It only took a few moments before I knew which clone had me- the  _affectionate_ one, as April had so aptly named him. No wonder he was so nice. Sometimes I wondered where the Hel these guys came from. I knew where the King came from. He  _was_ me. I also knew exactly where the protective one came from... I felt his pain. I wanted to throw knives at the wall on a daily basis, but April was so sweet I couldn't take advantage of her that way. She would let me do anything that made me feel better, and all I really needed was her. I  _understood_ the sweet clone's desire to hide from the world, but he annoyed me. I can freely admit _that's_ because I'm still a little jealous that April actually kissed him though. 

"Are you still alright?" The affectionate me was talking, and I couldn't answer. All I could do was sit in his hands and hope for the best. To be quite honest, I felt as if I would die from the blinding pain in my back, and I suddenly felt terrible for all the animals of the world. They couldn't even swear when they were in pain. If that's not injustice, I don't know what is. 

I must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing I knew, I was at some kind of animal rescue- which I learned later was where Stacy- the  _needy_ clone's lover- works. When I saw her there later that day, I knew I would have to leave.  _That_ was the tricky part. I had to find  _another_ injured turtle to replace myself with. Unfortunately for the turtle population, Midgardians are assholes and they actually  _swerve to hit_ defenseless animals all the time. Perhaps they just hate turtles? Or maybe they really are secretly aggressive, and they take their anger out on small, defenseless creatures when no one is looking. Research for another day...

When everyone was out of the reptile room, I carefully shifted to the form of a snake so I could escape my tank and slither away. Then on my way out, I changed back into myself. My back and my leg were killing. I sighed. It was going to be a long day. I had exhausted myself shifting, and I would have to wait for a bit before I could heal myself. However, it only took an hour to find another turtle that was the approximate size and shape of me- or "Rocky," as Stacy had called me. I actually liked that name. He had also been hit by a car. I watched it happen, but couldn't stop it without giving myself away. _Fucking Midgardian drivers._ That particular turtle was simply trying to cross the road, and the car actually swerved into the  _opposite lane_ as if they were gaining merit for the number of turtles they hit that day. I memorized the license plate number. If I ever saw  _that_ car again, I would make sure they never hit another animal on purpose. They may never walk again. 

As I picked the turtle up, I checked to make sure it was going to live before delivering it to the shelter. I had to make the switch as quickly as possible in case Stacy came back. Fortunately, I was able to sneak in without detection, and I had just enough energy left to help the critter start healing before I left it. 

 

"What the hell? Why are you limping? Are you alright?" 

April had arrived home from work just before I dragged myself in the door, and she was borderline hysterical at my disheveled appearance. I shook my head and sighed. There was absolutely  _no way_ I was going to tell her that I'd transformed into a turtle and been hit by an automobile, so I made up a white lie about an experiment in the garage. She clearly did not believe me, but she didn't say a word. I don't lie to April. Well, I don't lie unless I know that a simple lie will protect her from hours and hours of anxiety. Unfortunately, she is far more perceptive than I give her credit for, so she almost always knows that I'm up to something, and I almost always end up telling her. The thing is, she's never angry with me unless I actually hurt myself. Then she gets angry at the situation--not me. I  _deserve_ her wrath, but she just...doesn't have any for me. I suddenly felt extremely guilty, so I ate some ice cream. A  _lot_ of ice cream. 

I didn't sleep much that night, but I was able to heal myself and do a bit of research on small discreet creatures that were native to our area. 

 

For the next few days, I spent most of my time occupying the body of a rodent. I believe the mortals refer to it as a  _chipmunk_. Small, fast, and not easily hit by an automobile. The only caveat was that I was now  _very_ low on the food chain, according to some of the websites I had visited. I suppose that's why the little critters were so fast. 

I followed the needy clone and his lover almost everywhere  _except_ inside her home. As I've said before, I have no desire to watch my clones' love lives transpire. I found a nice tall tree and listened for any sounds of distress. I suppose it is fortunate that Stacy doesn't sound as if she's dying while having intercourse. It is a bit strange hearing someone else calling your name over and over again through the walls though. At least I know my clones are as talented as I am. 

When the pair finally emerged from her house on the last day of my watch, I followed them- bouncing from tree to tree- to the animal shelter where Stacy worked. I'd gotten used to my tiny furry body, and I could maneuver it fairly well by that point. I squeezed under the fence and ran toward the reptile room, avoiding all of the predators along the way. After all I had survived, I definitely did not want to face Hel because I was eaten by an injured white tiger on Midgard. 

 

I was hiding in the corner, nestled in a pile of leaves when I heard the needy clone and Stacy enter the room. Stacy was talking about how "Rocky" the turtle was feeling, and how he would probably be released in a few days' time. As she opened the tank and held the turtle out for the clone to hold, I felt it- the delicate hum of seiðr in the air. It was subtle, but I knew it would gain strength the moment he touched that animal. I quietly stepped out of my hiding place, but did not reveal myself yet. Needy Loki's hands began to glow, and he looked up at Stacy as if he expected her to tell him what was happening. Her eyes were round and wide, and I knew it was time for me to step in. 

"Wh-what's happening?" 

I quickly shifted back into my own body and stepped out of the shadows. I didn't want to scare them, but he shouldn't be alone in this moment, and she didn't need to be afraid. 

"It's alright. You're alright," I said. "Does this door lock, love? I don't want anyone walking in here and seeing two of us." I smiled, trying to look disarming. 

"Uh... yeah. It does. What's happening to him? Is he alright?" 

Needy Loki hadn't said a word. He was just standing there holding Rocky and concentrating his seiðr. 

"He's fine. He's remembering how to use his magic." I punctuated my statement by flipping the lock from where I was standing, and Stacy gave me a surprised look. 

"I can feel his pain... I- I can  _fix_ him, Stacy," Needy Loki finally said. 

She looked up at me, then back at the clone. "Are you... are you sure?" 

He nodded. A few more minutes went by, and the green glow of seiðr left his hands. He smiled, but weaved a bit on his feet. I grasped his shoulders to steady him. Using seiðr is quite draining, especially when one is not used to the feeling. I was shocked he hadn't passed out cold. 

"He's going to be a bit unsteady, and will probably need to rest." 

Stacy immediately pulled a chair over and helped the clone to sit. She fussed over him, brought him water, and stroked his hair. I thought of my April and smiled. She'd been right all along. The clones really would find happiness just as she and I had. 

"Here... see? He's better." Needy Loki handed Rocky back to Stacy, and she began looking at the turtle. 

Her mouth dropped open in awe. "Baby, you  _healed_ him. You really healed him! That's--you're  _amazing!_ " 

"I can really help here now... I mean, I can actually  _do_ something useful," he replied. 

It made my chest ache uncomfortably knowing that he felt as useless as I did. I just wasn't as vocal about it. The interesting bit was, I could see his redeeming qualities, but could not see my own. 

"He is a natural healer, it seems," I commented. I had observed him unknowingly healing our cat's sore paw and easing April's migraine just by touching her arm. 

"You could always do something useful here, love... but this is...a  _natural healer_... sweetheart, we're going to have to be careful. I can't lose you, Loki. Maybe we need to set up our own shelter so you can heal the animals there instead. That would be the perfect beginning for our married life!" 

 

I suddenly found myself offering to build an animal shelter, which was not something I would have ever thought myself capable of before. However, watching those two together had made me think of how hard it had been for April and me. I remembered how much I worried that our happiness would be short-lived; that something horrible would happen to her, or that I would be torn away from her again. All I wanted in that moment was to make sure _Needy_  Loki and Stacy remained happy together forever. 

 

 

 


End file.
